Best Served Cold
by Damagoed
Summary: Someone has been altering memories. Someone is trying to manipulate the future. And someone needs to stop it. Follows books/ Post DH epilogue. Multiple pairings, werewolf/ animal romance. Remus/ OMC. Severus/OMC. Reviews Welcome. How am I driving?
1. Chapter 1

Remus Lupin felt like he had been kicked in the head by a Hippogriff. Then he remembered he _had_ been kicked in the head by a Hippogriff. And he was naked. Which was bad.

And Hermione Granger had seen him naked. Which was worse.

And he was snuggled up to something large, warm and furry. Which was actually quite nice.

Then he realised that generally, Large Warm Furry Things only snuggled up to other Large Warm Furry Things. He opened the eye that wasn't swollen shut and looked. He was rather glad he only risked the one eye. He was cuddled up to a sleek black creature which had four legs, a tail and no doubt had teeth in the opposite end to that.

He had surpassed himself this time. Forgotten to take his potion, perhaps allowed a murderer to go free, almost eaten three students which Dumbledore would want words about, almost eaten Severus, again, which Dumbledore would probably be okay with, but Severus would be royally pissed at him for. And finally. Finally he had spent the night with a... Panther.

It was actually quite good looking as big cats went. It seemed to be well muscled, well groomed and smelt of cinnamon. But nevertheless once it woke up it was going to have him for breakfast. Remus began to slowly move away from the creature, wondering to himself if Panthers really could climb trees? The beast in front of him stretched, almost yawned. Then went on stretching.

The fur receded and was replaced with pale skin, covered in a few scratches Remus recognised as his own handiwork. The ears flattened against the head and covered over with short, silky blond hair the feline eyes changing from yellow to brilliant blue. Remus felt the blood leaving his brain and washing up somewhere else.

"Hi?" He croaked, his throat sore from the previous nights howling. "Who are you? Did we? You know?" He blushed, all over.

"Yes we did. Several times. And I'm very disappointed you don't remember me after all these years Remus."

Lupin squinted, trying to place the silky smooth voice and it's quite frankly gorgeous owner. The stranger stood over Remus, smiling, then clicked his fingers and was instantly dressed. Wandless magic? Now Remus was _really_ impressed.

"I will see you again Lupin. One way or another." There was the crack of apparation and he was gone.

Remus sat for a very confused ten minutes before he noticed the expensive robe lying on the ground. Black with Scarlet and Green linings and worth more than everything Remus Lupin owned. Then he remembered and smiled.

"Leonardo!"


	2. Chapter 2

He knew who was knocking at his door. It would be Lupin. Come to apologise. "_Sorry I nearly ate you_ _again Severus_." And he'd do that thing with his eyebrows where he looked like a puppy that had just crapped on the floor and Severus wouldn't know what to say. And would end up being rude when he didn't mean to be. But with Lupin, after all the bullying when they had been at school, he just couldn't help it. Almost as if it was an inbuilt reaction.

Sure enough Lupin was standing in the doorway looking appropriately sorry.

"Severus. I really don't know what to say. I'm really sorry." He looked sufficiently and adorably contrite. And had a lump the size of a grapefruit on the side of his head.

"Well as long as you're sorry, that's okay then."

"If it's any consolation I got kicked in the head?" He then added "By a Hippogriff." With anyone else that would have secured some sympathy.

"Do you have any idea what crap I had to put up with last night? You nearly ate three students. Potter, Weasley and Granger. You nearly ate me. You nearly ate Sirius Black! Then he turned into a dog and you probably tried to mount him as well."

"I'd have thought you would have been pleased about that. Considering"

"They may not be my favourite people in the world but do you know how many f***ing forms I'm going to have to fill in? You are an idiot. And a total liability. Not only that. Pettigrew escaped, Black escaped, we have no idea who is innocent and who is guilty. The Dementors tried to kiss Potter and then I had to try and explain the whole sorry mess to Dumbledore. Give me one more reason." Severus finished his rant by raising his left hand level with Lupin's eyes.

"Now get out." And he slammed the door in Lupin's face.

Severus Snape collapsed into his armchair and massaged his temples. His head was sore from lack of sleep and he soon felt his eyelids drooping...

"...James let him down now. " Severus was hanging upside down, with the laughing faces of Black, Lupin and Pettigrew looking up at him and James Potter, wand in hand and a look of total concentration on his face suspending him in the air. James moved his wand and Severus crashed to the floor hitting his head. That hurt.

"Oh crap! Sev are you okay?" James Potter's voice was full of anxiety and the others had rushed forwards to help Severus up.

"You thought that up yourself? That is awesome!" Sirius Black patted him on the shoulder.

"How many fingers am I holding up? Do you feel okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Lupin was fussing as he brushed dust of Snape's robes. In the background James Potter was still apologising.

"James, really it's okay. I think we all know what broke your concentration." Severus nodded to where Lily Evans was walking towards the castle. "You really should ask her out you know? Put us all out of our misery. She will say yes." He felt Remus squeeze his shoulder...

... The hand squeezed his shoulder and shook gently. He reluctantly opened his eyes.

"Headmaster?"

"Severus. Dear boy. I rather think I interrupted a pleasant dream?"

"Yes. Yes it was. But..." The dream was rapidly dissolving in a milky haze within his memory and the true course of events clarified itself once more: The humiliation; everyone laughing; they all hated him. He loved her. Even she hated him. And he killed her.

"Dreams are not the truth Severus. However pleasant they may seem. Remember that."

"Yes. Of course Headmaster." Dumbledore smiled at him and handed him a cup of tea.


	3. Chapter 3

"Tea Remus?" he accepted the cup from Dumbledore, his hands shaking slightly. "Oh don't worry about it dear boy. Severus will sulk in his dungeons for a while then he will have forgotten all about it."

"But... I could have killed someone last night. If that bloody Hippogriff hadn't showed up I probably would have done. "

"Remus I have absolute faith in you. You are exactly where you need to be."

"I shouldn't be where there are children. What if I bite one of them? I almost wish it had been a Panther. Then this whole mess would be done with." If Remus Lupin had not been looking intently at his bruised and scratched hands right then he would have noticed a change in the twinkle behind the Headmaster's golden glasses.

"A panther?"

"Yes, only it wasn't a panther. Lord only knows what he was doing out there last night? Hell of a way to get lucky though."

"Get lucky?" Remus blushed.

"Yes. Look I'm not proud of it, but when I transform I become an animal. With animal urges. And he just happened to be there."

"Who Remus? Who did you meet last night?" Dumbledore seemed to be taking rather too much interest in Lupin's sordid little one night stand considering what else had gone on. "More tea?"

He accepted another cup and sat in silence trying to piece together the rapidly cracking memories of the past twenty four hours.

"Well I'm very sorry Remus. But you understand my position. After Severus informed his House at breakfast, there is very little I can do. All I ask is that you forgive a foolish old man for thinking you could all forget your school boy grudges for the greater good. I am truly sorry."

Remus blinked twice. Then he was filled with anger. _Bloody Snape, always sneaking around and sticking his huge nose in other people's business. Bastard nearly got them all expelled when they were at school. Now he had cost Sirius his freedom and Remus his job. Lupin had a good mind to go down to the dungeon there and then and rip his greasy head off._

"I 'd better go and pack Headmaster. Thank you for the tea."


	4. Chapter 4

The waters of the Pensieve stirred thickly as the particular memory Dumbledore was searching for bobbed to the surface. James Potter's invisibility cloak had certainly come in handy. It had been quite a wrench giving it to Harry...

_Severus was sat at his desk marking essays, his hair falling across his face, the flickering candlelight of the Potions Classroom casting eerie shadows about him. But Severus wasn't afraid of the shadows, Dumbledore knew that. That's why he was so good at his job, both his jobs. _

_A knock at the door made him look up. Dumbledore had forgotten just how young Severus had been then, still with the last traces of teenage acne on his face and his shoulders still waiting to broaden and give him that imposing figure the students were all terrified of._

"_Enter" But the voice was already there. All traces of his working class up bringing buried in urbanity and silk. The door opened. "Leo? What are you doing here?"_

"_I told them you gave me a detention." The blond boy smiled and blushed a little. He was short and neatly built, his hair sticking up at the back and his eyes so blue it hurt to look at them._

"_And they believed that?" _

"_I don't care if they believed it or not. I just had to see you." He walked the last three paces to where Severus sat, almost as tall sitting down as the boy stood before him._

"_We can't. Do you know what will happen if anyone catches us? You are my student."_

"_Then stop me. Professor." He placed his hands on either side of Severus' face and pulled him forwards to his lips. _

"_I could lose my job for this." Snape lifted him onto the desk, scattering marking and quills everywhere. _

"_A job you didn't want in the first place?" He began to undo Severus' belt- in those days he still wore jeans under his teaching robes. Jeans that at that moment were achingly tight with desire._

"_A job that is necessary." _

"_I think we both know what is necessary, Professor. Now what are you going to teach me today?" Leo had undone the buttons of Snape's jeans and had pushed his own trousers and underwear down in a swift movement. _

_Dumbledore had watched, under the cover of shadows and the invisibility cloak whilst his unfeeling death eater potions master had taken the very willing sixth former on the desk. They called out each other's names as they came, Severus spilling himself in painful gasps as Leo shot thick ropes all over the desk and the remaining potions essays._

"_Severus. I love you." The blue eyes looked deep inside the dark chocolate ones. "Whatever happens. No matter what they say and do. Remember that. Say you will remember it."_

"_Always." And he smiled. Severus Snape's smile was rare and made him look rather beautiful. He pulled the younger man close. "No matter what, I will always remember."_

_In the shadows Dumbledore swore silently. Because this would change everything. Unless he could stop it._..

... And stop it he had done. It was quite easy to have the boy expelled. The youngest and least important son of a pure blood family. The spare, not the heir. Caught in a compromising position with a muggle born. Poor Severus had been heartbroken, or at least would have been if Dumbledore hadn't reintroduced the idea of Lily to him. Apparently the boy had even joined the death eaters to try and win Severus back. It hadn't worked of course. Fortunately time was a great healer.

But now it seemed, he was back. Leonardo was back from wherever he had been hiding. And that only meant trouble.


	5. Chapter 5

Quite often, in the moments between dreaming and waking, Severus Snape would see something. Something that was always just out of sight. He would awaken from his dreams puzzled and angry with himself for not knowing what it was he saw. He should know. It could be something vitally important, some piece of information lost to the waking world. He really should know.

He had asked Dumbledore about it once. He had tried to explain to him that it seemed like something was missing, something important. The old man had patted his shoulder sympathetically and given him tea and biscuits. Told him to forget all about it, that he was working too hard. It hadn't helped at all.

The alarm clock woke him from his dreamless sleep. The half bottle of Whisky and the potion from the night before had seen to his nightmares.

A cup of tea steamed on the nightstand. He had tried repeatedly to get the House Elves to leave him coffee, but they seemed to think tea was better for him. Or maybe they just did it out of spite.

He rolled over, noticing for the first time the stickiness that covered his stomach and thighs. His immediate thought was that he had been attacked and was bleeding, but as he pushed the covers down to look at himself he realised with disgust what he was covered in.

Quickly he got out of bed, looking down at the sheets and shaking his head. He was certain that hadn't happened since his late teens. And he was certainly no teenager any more. Every morning the mirror testified to that. He looked at his reflection, the tall, lean man looking back at him, through untidy hair, slightly bemused at why he had an erection at six o'clock in the morning and why the hair on his belly was matted with his own drying semen.

There was the briefest memory that flickered across his mind of fingers running through his hair, a smile, someone laughing, sunshine and a pair of brilliant blue eyes. But Lily's eyes were green.

And the warm memory was gone as he felt the hate surge through his body and the pain in his shoulder. His body was covered in scars. Service to the Dark Lord had not been easy, there had been a price, often physical as well as mental. But the only scar he had on his body that he actually remembered getting was the one on his shoulder. The one from the swing. When Lily had made it go too high and he had fallen off and cut himself on a rock. Lily had been so upset. Lily. His love. That he had lost.

And Lily's eyes were green.

"Why are you dreaming about blue eyes then?" A nasty little voice in his head asked. Only he didn't have an answer.


	6. Chapter 6

Remus had decided that the only thing left to do in the circumstances was to go and get drunk. Blisteringly rat arsed so he couldn't stand up any more. Somewhere at the back of his head it didn't make any sense. How could Severus have told everyone at breakfast when it was obvious the man hadn't been to breakfast? There had been coffee and Crunchy Nut Cornflakes on the table in his room when Remus had got there. But further to the front of his mind was the thought that Severus had obviously managed somehow because the man was a bastard. A twenty four carat gold bastard with matching bastard earrings.

"Whisky please" He handed over his last Galleon to the barman, who poured him a glass of amber liquid and stood well back. It hit his pipes like hot vinegar. Remus grimaced and carried on drinking.

"How's the Whisky?"

"Better than the beer- that tastes like drain cleaner." Remus didn't look up but continued to study his drink. A hand gently touched his shoulder and turned him round on his bar stool.

"Can I buy you another one?" Remus shrugged. There was something familiar about the man in front of him. Something about the set of his shoulders and the expensive clothes and the faint smell of cinnamon. Remus couldn't place it, but his canine senses, still raw from the full moon told him he knew this man. Knew him well.

"I don't have any money. This magnificent tumbler of single malt Rat's piss represents my entire capital I'm afraid."

"Well let's not worry about money." He placed a stack of golden galleons on the bar. "What'll it be then?"

Two hours later and they had moved to a quiet corner of the bar. Remus was pleasantly drunk.

"So how old are you?"

"Thirty."

"Hey you're only four years younger than me! Where'd you go to school?"

"Hogwarts."

"But that means we must have been there at the same time. I don't remember you. Which house were you in? No let me guess. Ravenclaw!"

"Guess again."

"Hufflepuff?"

He leaned in very close and Remus breathed in the musky cinnamon scent. He placed a hand on Remus' leg and whispered.

"Slytherin." Remus pushed away, probably harder than he meant too.

"You're a Snake?"

"You're a wolf. And I think if you will remember I'm a Panther, not a snake." Through the haze of drink which had made the room seem a little blurred, Remus John Lupin suddenly saw with perfect clarity.

"I know you. I remember. Leo? I remember. But? Oh my dear lord. What have we done?" And he burst into tears, not knowing how to deal with the flood of emotions that had made a whirlpool in his head.

The barman looked over to the corner. Rolling his eyes. He was used to the tired and emotional behaviour from _that sort. _

"The mind is a very delicate thing Remus. So is the soul. What makes Us is so very precarious. Like spider's gossamer. One tiny change and we cease to be who we are. We become something else. We make choices based on our memories. But just because you remember something, it doesn't mean that's what happened. You have kept your memories because of the wolf inside you. Two minds aren't as easily affected as one. You've been taking Wolfsbane?"

"Yes. Snape... Severus brewed it for me."

"So you stay in your own mind when you transform and that keeps you nice and safe. And under the influence."

"But who? Voldemort?"

"Remus. Dark and Light only exist together. You need one or you can't have the other. They are two sides of the same coin- no one side is better than the other. They are just different. This is just a game of chess to them. Wizard's chess. And you have to make sacrifices and people get hurt. But the ultimate aim is to win. Who do you think is Lord of the Light?"

Remus' amber eyes were filled with tears and anger as he understood. Somewhere in his mind, the pathways that had been blocked and bypassed for so long were opening and a little of the wolf he kept so firmly shut away was creeping out. The Wolf with its animal desires and impulses. He looked at the blond man in front of him, drinking in the way his clothes clung to his body and the scent of pure undiluted sexuality he was giving off.

"So what do we do now?" The wolf smiled and his eyes glittered.

"What do you want to do?" He arched his eyebrow.

"That depends- how tough are you little snake?"

"Well I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf. Let's go."

The barman shook his head as he cleared the glasses from the table. At least they hadn't asked him for a room, or started making out in the bar. Not like in the old days when it was anything goes. But he knew one thing from looking at the two of them, someone was going to have a sore head in the morning.


	7. Chapter 7

Remus woke up starving hungry. There was probably every chance he could eat a horse if the opportunity presented itself. For the first time in years he had allowed the wolf out. And somehow it felt amazing. His senses were alive, not dull and the sick feeling of shame had gone and was replaced by something else. Something extraordinary. And he was horny as hell.

Whatever misgivings he might have had about letting loose his inner monster was dissolved the moment he was pushed onto the bed and Leo ripped his shirt off. This was sex in all its base animal glory. And he wanted it. Wanted the bites and scratches, wanted the pain and the pleasure that went with it.

His fingers had left bloody claw marks along Leo's chest and stomach, and he had practically shredded the smaller man's jeans as he tore them open. His own baggy ancient cord trousers had offered little resistance as he ripped at them and freed his painfully hard erection. There was no time for niceties. Remus buried himself in glorious heat and instead of forgetting, he remembered.

The black silk sheets, very Slytherin, were covered in the silvery traces of countless ejaculations and the salt of their sweat. The room was warm and the first fingers of daylight were pushing themselves through the chink in the curtains. Remus nuzzled against the still sleeping form next to him, looking with satisfaction at the marks on his chest. Werewolves did like to mark their property.

He turned a little, pushing his morning hardness between Leo's legs, slowly, patiently. And Leo turned, his left arm falling across the covers. And Remus saw it.

It was as though someone had just poured a bucket of ice over his groin. The pale flesh of his forearm had the faded, but still visible mark of the followers of the dark lord. Remus was furious- he had been tricked, tricked into letting the monster out and now he had no way of knowing if the monster could be caged again. No way of knowing what the truth was. But he did know he was going to rip this man to pieces.

"Remus?" Leo had sensed the change in his bed mate.

"You Lied to me." The Wolf snarled. The amber eyes met the icy blue.

"Yes. But not about anything that mattered. " And Remus felt himself falling as if he had been drugged.


	8. Chapter 8

It was dark. The kind of gluey darkness that reaches all around you and forms a wet cloth over your face. And there was pain as well. Excruciating, bone chilling pain, as though his blood had been replaced with acid and was burning its way through his body on the way to his soul.

"Obliviate" The voice said again. The face of its owner had long disappeared into the dark.

"Crucio" The other voice. This one with more malice than resignation.

And Leo tried to hold on. Tried to remember everything because if he forgot, whatever the outcome of the game, the price would be too high.

"He's strong. "

"His kind always is. They take much more punishment before they wear down." The price of his gift. A gift that should have brought him glory, fame, anything he wanted. The price seemed to be that he could be tortured to destruction beyond the limits of his human body.

His left arm was bleeding at his side where they had cut the flesh from his bones. The once handsome face was cut deeply and smashed. His throat was raw and bloody from screaming. There was only one last thing he could do. One last way he might be able to save them all. He didn't know if he was brave enough. Not really brave like Severus.

Leo took one last breath as the Crucio came again. He looked into the darkness and ignoring the pain in his broken body he marshalled the last of his magic speaking the incantation through the shattered edges of his teeth.

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." And then the whole of his creation blinked and was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

In all his years of facing death at the hands of Voldemort, of walking blindly into the outstretched arms of oblivion, absolutely nothing compared to the moment his youngest son, thinking only of the promise of a racing broom, had stepped out into the rush hour London traffic. Ginny had screamed: Harry had frozen. And seemingly from nowhere a saviour had appeared.

One moment Harry was watching in horror as Albus Severus was about to be mown down by a Transit van. The next Albus was standing calmly at his side once more. And the tramp who had saved him was shambling off up the road.

Harry shook his head, looked once at Ginny, before running after the man. It didn't take much to catch him.

"Excuse me?" The tramp turned. His battered ,weather worn face was twisted in a question. The body under the layers of clothing was clearly wasted to nothing. And yet the eyes burnt a brilliant blue.

"You remind of someone I used to know. But I can't remember who." And then he collapsed.

The leaky cauldron was busy, but the crowd soon cleared, maybe because it was Harry, maybe because of the smell emanating from the tramp's unwashed body. No one wanted to get too close.

"Mr Potter, exactly what do you think you are doing?" Minerva McGonagall still had the ability to make Harry feel as though points were to be taken at any moment.

"Professor! He collapsed. I think he's a wizard, he saved Albus." Minerva McGonagall brushed the matted hair from the tramp's face. The hair was so dirty it was impossible to tell what colour it was. He reached out his left arm, the rags of his coat falling away to reveal a barely healed wound that pulsed with infection. The bright blue eyes looked at Minerva McGonagall pleading. And then the professor's eyes widened in horror. Harry knew she wasn't seeing a disgusting, dirty tramp in rotting clothes, but some fresh faced eleven year old boy, the day he first came to Hogwarts.

"Mr Potter, I know who this is."

"Who Professor?"

Minerva McGonagall had tears running down her face and she swallowed three times before she managed to speak.

"This is Leonardo Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's younger brother. The last Warlock."


	10. Chapter 10

Leonardo Malfoy was sleeping. It had taken three baths full of hot soapy water to scrub the filth from his body. Poppy Pomfrey, not daring to use magic on him had cropped his matted hair to his head with a pair of ordinary muggle scissors. It had taken her hours to fix the many injuries his body had sustained. It seemed that at some point every bone in his body had been broken and despite her skill as a healer there was very little she could do with his ribs, which were now mended but stuck out at sharp angles where they had been smashed.

A small pop alerted her to the arrival of an elderly house-elf carrying a tray of food.

"Good afternoon Bobby. I'm afraid our patient is still asleep."

"Very good Madam Pomfrey. Bobby was just remembering how much Master Leo was enjoying steak and kidney pudding when he was at school here." Poppy narrowed her eyes. It had been strange that until he had been brought to her by Minerva and Harry, she had not remembered Leo Malfoy at all. When she tried to think of him the memories seemed covered in a dust blanket, like furniture in an old house. But as Bobby had spoken, it was as though someone had pulled off the blankets and thrown open the windows.

"Do you remember hi m Bobby?"

"Of course Bobby is remembering Master Leo. He was very kind to us Elves. We was never believing Headmaster Dumbledore when he is saying such things about Master Leo." Strangely at this revelation the Elf did not move to harm itself.

"Things?"

"Yes. Like him being with a muggle girl. Which is meaning he has to be expelled from Hogwarts. And him joining The Dark Lord. He is only going with The Dark Lord to be protecting Master Severus."

"Severus?" The voice was faint and sore from lack of use. Poppy quickly moved over to the bed where her patient's eyes were opening. "Where's Severus? It's a trap. They're in it together. I have to warn him."

"Bobby, please go and get The Headmistress and Mr Potter." The elf stood for a moment, its green eyes unblinking as if it was lost in thought. Then the elf bowed swiftly and disappeared.

"He's dead isn't he?" The blue eyes were burning into her.

"Severus?"

"Yes."

"I'm afraid so."

"And Dumbledore and Riddle?"

"Yes."

"Good." He spat the word. Then he looked down at the blankets. "I can't remember everything. Not yet. But I will."

In Minerva McGonagall's office, Harry was getting more confused by the minute.

"So he's a Warlock? Isn't that just another word for a Wizard?"

"Yes and no. These days people use the term Warlock and Wizard interchangeably. But traditionally there is a clear distinction. A Wizard needs a wand to perform magic. A Warlock does not. Of course some Wizards can perform wand- less magic, but they still draw the power behind that magic from the air. A Warlock's power comes from the earth. "

"So Warlocks are more powerful?"

"Yes. But a true Warlock is very rare the chances are millions to one. Warlocks are feared, with so many superstitions surrounding them. But they don't come into their powers fully until they are eighteen. The last Warlock we know of who lived was Merlin. Imagine being eighteen and suddenly you have power over Life and Death, the power to do whatever you want without needing any Deathly Hallows."

"You'd become a monster? Like Voldemort, only worse."

"Exactly. And most parents made the choice for the greater good. To prevent their child from becoming a monster." She swallowed, looking a little sickened. "Most parents elected to have their child kissed by the Dementors"

Harry blinked, unable to even consider the death of one of his children, without choosing to have the child's soul sucked out.

"So, how did Leonardo Malfoy survive? How did he end up begging on the streets?"

"I can't remember. I really can't."

Harry blinked and looked around the office. For the first time he noticed that Dumbledore's Portrait was empty.

"Professor? Could I... Could I look into your memories?" She regarded him for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line, then she nodded slowly.


	11. Chapter 11

Harry was falling through time. That's what it felt like. A silky voice at the back of his head said

"Concentrate Potter." And he refocused his attention. And he was in the Great Hall of Hogwarts in some other time. He looked around and with a jolt to his heart saw his mother, his father, Sirius, Remus, even Severus Snape.

"Elizabeth LeStrade" A nervous looking girl in faded robes stepped forward and instantly tripped over the hem of her overlong clothes, much to the general hilarity of the rest of the school. A blond haired boy, easily the smallest of all the first years, helped her up and smiled encouragingly as she walked forwards to be sorted.

"Hufflepuff" That sorting hat sounded as though it had been at the Sherry.

"Leonardo Malfoy" The tiny blond boy stepped forwards, his short hair sticking up at the back, and he hopped up onto the stool. There was a pause. A long pause whilst the hat and young Leonardo had an obviously in depth conversation.

"Slytherin" But the hat did not sound entirely convinced.

Young Leonardo Malfoy slid from the stool and walked across to the Slytherin table where he took a seat next to Severus Snape. Snape looked down briefly at the small boy, who in turn looked up at him smiling broadly. And just for a moment Severus returned the smile.

Harry waded his way through disjointed and private memories before he found the next one. A slightly older Leonardo Malfoy sitting on the ground, blood pouring from his nose.

"Just what is going on here" McGonagall's voice echoed in Harry's head.

"Little freak just started bleeding. No one touched him professor." A tall Slytherin boy answered.

But Harry's attention was drawn to the concerned figure of Severus Snape, bending over the smaller boy and holding a Handkerchief to his face whilst he rubbed soothing circles on Leonardo's back.

"No one except Severus that is. But he likes them small and cute don't you Sniv?" A sixteen year old Severus Snape's death stare was no less threatening than the adult version.

"Give me a reason Avery. I swear." The other boy back off into the crowd.

"I think we need to get you to Madam Pomfrey young man. Mr Snape can you help Mr Malfoy please." And almost tenderly Severus had helped Leonardo to his feet.

But then something was wrong. Where there should have been memories there were gaps, as though things had been cleared from a dusty table, leaving nothing but an imprint of what had been there.

The last memory he found and Harry knew it was the night his Mother and Father had died. Severus Snape, blood smeared on his cheek along with his tears stood, looking down at his feet. Dumbledore spoke softly as he handed them all tea.

"Lord Voldemort is dead. And there has been a price to pay for that. Lily and James Potter are also dead. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten. I have had word though, that Leonardo Malfoy, one of Voldemort's most powerful followers is also dead. "

Severus Snape jerked his head up at the mention of the name and a brief cloud of confusion flicked across his face before he went back to staring at the carpet. "The Dementor's had him."

Harry withdrew from Minerva McGonagall's mind.

"Well Mr Potter?"

"I don't know Professor, it's all wrong. I can see what you remember, but I don't know if that's what happened or not. It's just all wrong."


	12. Chapter 12

He looked considerably better than Harry had been expecting. Propped up on pillows, wearing green and silver striped pyjamas, Leonardo Malfoy was demolishing a plate of Steak and Kidney Pudding and mashed potatoes as though he hadn't eaten for weeks. Then Harry realised that was probably nearer the truth than he cared to think about. Madam Pomfrey had performed miracles with his injuries and despite a few angry scars on his face and the very obvious signs that his nose had been broken, it was now possible to see the ghost of the beautiful young boy he had been in the haunted face.

And he was talking to a House-Elf. Leonardo Malfoy, son of one of the most powerful and obnoxious pure blood families in the Wizarding world, was talking to a House-Elf. And the House-Elf was talking back. But Harry couldn't understand what they were saying, because they were speaking Elf. The House-Elf nodded solemnly and then put its thin arms around Leo's neck and hugged him. Harry had never seen a House-Elf hug anyone and he stood open mouthed watching.

"You know your father used to do that?" Two blue eyes turned on Harry and he had the strange sensation he was being X-rayed. "It made Him look like a Goldfish as well."

The Elf quietly disappeared, taking the tray with It.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"Leo. Malfoy is the name of the family I was unfortunately forced to live with as a child. You are James and Lily's son aren't you?"

"Yes. Yes I am. I'm Harry. Thank you. For saving my son."

"I remember the first time I ever saw Hogwarts. And I remember the last time. And every time in between. It was always so beautiful "

"So you do remember?"

"Mr. Potter, Harry, I can't remember everything yet, but I will do."

"I know who... what... you are. I don't understand...Why has no one ever mentioned you?"

"Harry, you know one thing about me. Minerva McGonagall told you. And when she did, it was like she was remembering it for the first time? I was deliberately removed from history. They wanted my power and I wouldn't give it to them."

"You were a Death Eater! You joined Voldemort."

"No. I had the Dark Mark burnt into my arm and then I had the same Mark cut from my bones." He flexed his bandaged forearm and blood began to seep through the dressing. "It never heals. But I never joined Voldemort. I joined Severus. To keep him safe. Because I loved him."

"You loved Professor Snape?" Harry laughed at the ridiculous images that were appearing in his head.

"Yes. And at one time he loved me. I could have saved him. I could have saved all of them. I could have destroyed Tom Riddle with a click of my fingers." Each word was harsh and calculated.

"So why didn't you?" Harry was close to tears. "Do you know how many people died? A boy called Colin Creevey was killed duelling a death eater- he was fifteen! He must have been terrified , but he fought anyway. And now you're telling me you could have stopped it and you did nothing. How could you? Why?"

"Because of that Prophesy. A very old magic governs them. I knew Riddle would be stopped. You were going to stop him and nothing that anyone could have done would have changed that. Not Riddle, not even Dumbledore. There are some things that can't be manipulated. But I knew there was a chance I would have become a monster far worse than Voldemort ever was or could have been. And there was no one who was prophesied to stop me."

"So you did nothing?"

"No. I tried to make people remember, but the mind is a very delicate thing. I found I could get people to remember, but they soon forgot and their memories were distorted. My own brother didn't remember me. The only one I could make remember was Remus Lupin. And I nearly destroyed him by doing that."

"He's dead too. But he has a son."

"Remus Lupin? Had a child? With a woman?"

"How many other options are there?"

"You'd be amazed. Bloody Dumbledore and his F***ing tea."

"Dumbledore's tea?" Harry was very aware of the blood pounding in his head.

"Did you never notice? Whenever anything bad happened, Dumbledore was always handing out sweets and cups of tea. That's how he did it. He tried it on me but I never liked sweets that much, even when I was a kid. And the tea always tasted funny."

"Yes, it did." Harry felt as though the floor was falling away from under him, leaving nothing in its place but a gaping hole he would fall through forever. And then, for the first time in twenty years he felt the scar on his head begin to prickle. He rubbed it, trying to squeeze the pain back.

"My scar, it's burning!"

Leonardo Malfoy's eyes darkened as he looked at Harry, the little colour in his face draining away.

"Then the game isn't over yet. I can still win."


	13. Chapter 13

"I will show you this memory Mr Potter. Because I think you need to see what really happened. But I warn you, do not search for anything other than the things I show you." Leonardo Malfoy swung his legs out of bed and grasped Harry's wrist.

Harry felt the heat from the Warlock's hand on his wrist and it felt like it would burn through his skin. So this was old magic?

_Godric's Hollow was misty and dark. The street lamps struggling to make any difference in the gloom. Harry saw a tall black cloaked figure running towards what he had come to recognise as his parent's house. His house he supposed, if only for a very brief time. This memory he knew. He had seen it before. Severus Snape running into the ruined house. It was all too familiar. _

_Only Harry was watching from a different viewpoint. Through the eyes of someone waiting quietly in the darkness. Even in the memory Harry could feel the chill, the biting bone freezing cold that could only herald the arrival of the Dementors. _

_Severus Snape walked back into the street. His hood was pushed down and he looked at the world with red, tear filled eyes. Stepping out into the black cloud of Dementors making their way to the Potter's ruined house. It seemed Voldemort still had a few tricks left. _

"_Expecto Patronum" The Silver Doe burst from Snape's wand, scattering a few of the Dementors, but the grief he felt meant the Patronus was weak and faded at the onslaught of Cold Death. _

"_Severus!" Leo Malfoy was now running towards a confused looking Snape. _

"_Leo?" So he remembered him .A brief smile flickered on Snape's lips _

"_We don't have much time. Get to Hogwarts. Keep yourself safe."_

"_But Lily? And James? And Harry?" _

"_There's nothing we can do now but try and stop this. Get back to Hogwarts and keep yourself safe. Whatever happens do exactly what Dumbledore tells you. It's the only way you will be safe for now."_

"_But the Dementors?"_

"_I'll deal with them. Please just go. I love you. Just go." There was a brief kiss and then Snape apparated. The Dementors were so close that the road was glassed over with ice. Even though he knew it was nothing but a memory Harry was very aware of his heart pounding. He saw hundreds of them, as though someone had broken the Seals and unleashed hell into Godric's Hollow. _

_Leo Malfoy had turned and Harry was now watching from a point some feet behind him. _

"_Sectumsempra!" With a swift movement Leo Malfoy had cut his own forearms open from wrist to elbow, slicing through the Dark Mark on his left arm. Bright scarlet dripped down onto the white ice, which began to glow a strange blue colour. Then Harry realised what he was seeing and a fresh chill went down his spine that had nothing to do with the Dementors. This was a Warlock summoning power from the Earth. Leo brought his forearms together, the blood splashing upwards and shouted _

"_Expecto Patronum!" And a silver snake, twice the size of the Basilisk burst upwards cracking the ice and destroying every Dementor in its path._

Harry blinked and found himself sat on the floor, as though his legs had refused to support him.

"That is what happened in Godric's Hollow. He sent in the Dementors, to clean up. To kill Severus, because he didn't need him anymore. I knew if I sent Severus back to Hogwarts he would have no choice but to keep him safe and to clear his name, otherwise Severus might spill everything he knew. He would forget me for a while, but I always thought I would have time to go and get him."

"Albus Dumbledore sent Dementors to kill Snape? How would he do that, how could he have any control over them?"

"Oh come on Harry. Remember your third year at Hogwarts. Who brought the Dementors in and who got them to go away at your Quidditch match?"

Harry scrambled to his feet and only just made it to the sink in time to heave his lunch up. And then he stormed out of the Hospital wing, running blindly through the Corridors of Hogwarts. Unaware of the worried eyes watching him from the portraits he ran past.


	14. Chapter 14

She watched him from the windows, his white-blond hair contrasting against the gloomy landscape. He walked barefoot through the grounds of Hogwarts, and out beyond them to the point where the forest began. And in the trees, stark against the black trunks, she saw the shimmering white shapes. Almost translucent. And she watched unable to move or say anything as one by one the Unicorns of the forest emerged and bowed their heads to Leo Malfoy. Minerva McGonagall had the terrible feeling that she had lived too long, and all that she had seen in the past was nothing in comparison to the gathering storm.

Rubeus Hagrid saw the white haired man at the edge of the forest. And then just beyond him saw the Unicorns. At first he was outraged, ready to run out and swat him away from the sacred creatures. But something about the set of his shoulders was familiar to him.

"Hey. What do you think you're doin?" And the man turned. And Hagrid saw the boy he had known in the man stood before him.

"Leo?"

"Hagrid?" And then he was being crushed in the Giant's embrace as though he was 13 again. He felt hot tears splashing against his face.

"Leo. You're alive. You've come back."

"Yes." And his face was cupped in one massive hand, as the Gentle brown eyes dripped on him.

"I never believed them. What they said. I knew it was all a load of Niffler dung. But they wouldn't believe me. Then they tried to make me forget it all. But I did what you said. I played the idiot for them and they left me alone. Then he told me you were dead. And I wondered, because I thought if you were still alive somehow you would have got back here." Hagrid set Leo down on his feet again, and smiled. "I suppose you know about Severus?"

"Yes."

"I'm right sorry about that I am. It damn near broke my heart seeing what happened to him. And at the end, when he sacrificed himself, well..." Leo nodded. The Unicorn closest to Leo nuzzled his left arm. He winced a little and bared his arm., the bandage already soaked with blood.

"I took the dark mark to be with Severus because i thought I could protect him. But I always controlled it, it never controlled me. And when they found out, well Voldemort cut it off of my arm. With a Silver Damascus knife. And Albus Dumbledore stood there and watched whilst he did it." The Unicorn nuzzled him again.

"Always liked you, the Unicorns. I suppose they can tell you're special. Hey watch yourself."

The nuzzling Unicorn suddenly lowered its head and rammed its horn into Leo's arm. And the blood soaked bandage fell away leaving clean pale flesh and no sign of there ever being a dark mark.

"Hagrid?" Leo flexed his arm, suddenly becoming aware of a new power pulsing through his veins. "Do you still have it?"

"Course I do. Safe as houses. Is it time?"

"Almost. Yes."

"Well why don't you come for a cup of tea then? And we'll sort out what's to be done."

And the small man and the half giant made their way towards Hagrid's house as the Unicorns silently retreated back into the forest.


	15. Chapter 15

Hagrid's hut smelt just as he had remembered it. Part potting compost, part biscuit. Hagrid busied himself with the tea.

"Got a few more scars from the last time I saw you. Then last time I saw you, you was 20!"

"Yes we've all got more scars. Where is it Hagrid?"

"Oh Yes. See the thing is, it's always best to keep something hidden in plain sight. Last place any one ever looks for anything is right in front of them. Especially people looking for treasure. And I suppose they don't think I got anything worth having in this old Shack."

"People always think treasure will be gold or silver. And I suggest Mr. Potter that you stop lurking outside under James invisibility cloak and come in." Leo clicked his fingers and the door of the hut nearly knocked Harry off his feet. He pulled the cloak off, looking slightly sheepish at having been caught but also slightly upset.

"How did you know I was there? No one can see through this cloak. It one of the..."

"Deathly Hallows. Yes, yes I know. James was always furious that he could never sneak up on me."

"Hello Harry!"

"Hagrid? What's going on?"

"Didn't Dumbledore tell you once that there were worst things than death?"

"Yes."

"Well Harry, you're looking at one right now. " Hagrid pointed a huge finger at Leo. "Now where was I? Oh yes." He reached up onto a dusty shelf containing some chipped mugs and a few tins and pulled down a small dull colored pottery cup. "There you go. Safe as houses just like I said." He handed it to Leo.

"What is that?" Harry craned his neck to see the grubby pot.

"It has a few names. Its old magic. Some people call it the Vessel of Eden, others call it the Life Chalice, the Beaker of Anubis, it's had many names in its time. You Harry, probably know it best as the Holy Grail. But its real name isn't anywhere near as exciting. It's simply called The Cup."

"You're telling me that Dumbledore, and Voldemort and all the rest had no idea that Hagrid had got the Holy Grail in his hut? That's ridiculous."

"So's an eleven year old boy livin' with his Aunt and Uncle who hate him, findin' out he's a Wizard, and being told by a half giant. Jus 'cos it's ridiculous doesn't make it any less the truth."

"I don't know what the truth is any more. You turn up from nowhere, no one has heard of you, and you tell me that my Dad and Professor Snape didn't hate one another at all. Snape didn't fancy my mum; he was actually gay and fancied you. Albus Dumbledore was actually one of the bad guys. Your own brother has no idea that you exist. And you were a death eater only you weren't really. And now Hagrid has the Holy Grail in his hut. Forgive me if I'm having trouble with this."

"You actually seem to be doing better than I expected. So I'll tell you something else. Severus and I didn't just fancy each other as you so quaintly put it. It ran deeper than that. Much deeper. We were soul bonded. From the moment I saw him. We didn't know it at the time. I was eleven and no one really knew what I was going to become. I had stronger than usual magic but I was from a pure blood family, so it wasn't that remarkable. Then when I was 18 and I came into my power." Harry felt the tight grasp on his wrist again and fell forwards into a pool of nothing.

_Severus Snape was lying on the ruins of his bed in his quarters. It was a Severus Snape Harry had never seen before. He was young; Harry supposed he might even be handsome in a sort of dark mysterious way. He was bare-chested, and Harry had a horrible feeling he might well be naked under the sheets. Severus watched from the bed as a young Leo Malfoy came out of what Harry assumed was the bathroom. This Leo was horribly young looking, without any ugly scars. He was well muscled but still had a little bit of puppy fat to lose. And there was no Dark Mark on his arm. _

"_So. Do I get my Birthday present now?"_

"_It's not your birthday for another 2 minutes." But Snape smiled anyway and Leo got into bed. Harry was feeling a little bit uncomfortable watching what was obviously going to happen next. Only it was not how he imagined. The clock in the Hogwarts Quad began to strike twelve and Leo's back tensed a little. Harry could see all the veins standing out, could see all the muscles in his back twitching like some kind of fit. _

"_Severus?" His voice came in a painful gasp._

"_Leo what's the matter?" Snape instinctively reached for his wand, which was immediately blasted from his hand. Leo Malfoy was writhing in agony on top of Snape who didn't seem to be too happy either. And then he cried out. Blood was pouring from his nose and strange blue flames licking around his back. The same flame Harry had seen when he had conjured the Dementors. Outside Harry could hear the high pitched whinnying of Unicorns and Thestrals. And what sounded like every storm that had ever been or ever would be blowing into Hogwarts grounds._

_The door of the dungeons blew open and Albus Dumbledore stood in the frame. Behind him a white haired man that Harry had never seen before, but guessed must be Abraxus Malfoy by the resemblance he bore to Lucius._

"_Don't touch him!" Dumbledore warned but it was too late as Abraxus grabbed his son's shoulder and was immediately thrown backwards. Dumbledore drew his wand and pointed it first at Leo Malfoy. And then lowered it slightly to point at Severus Snape._

"_Leonardo. If you do not stop I'll kill him." Blue eyes met blue eyes. _

"_And then I'll kill you." Harry could see the monster struggling to break free of the last few feeble chains that held it. The monster that all Warlock's were destined to become. And Harry could easily see why this was worse than Tom Riddle's little tantrums. _

"_I will kill you Old Man, and then I will turn you to atoms and scatter the atoms to the ends of eternity. I will rip your soul apart so there will be nothing left." The flames were more intense and Harry had no doubt that Leo was good on his threat. And then a hand was on his face._

"_Leo? Leo, love, you're hurting yourself. Stop this. This isn't you." He looked at Severus, still beneath him, now splattered with blood. And the flames and the storm and the terrible feeling of power calmed. And then Albus Dumbledore blasted Leo across the room with the power of the Elder wand._

Harry felt himself drawing back into Hagrid's hut.

"I was expelled. They put out some ridiculous rumour about a muggle girl. And I was a Malfoy so everyone believed that was the kind of thing I'd do. Then Dumbledore and Riddle went back to their little mind games. Changing everybody. So James hated Sev, Sirius hated everyone including himself; Remus was filled with guilt about everything. Lucius and Abraxus conveniently forgot about my existence. And Severus. It was ironic that it was Severus' love for me that stopped Dumbledore from being destroyed. "

"It always come down to love in the end. Doesn't it?"

"I really hope so Mr. Potter. Because if it doesn't then we are all in trouble."


	16. Chapter 16

The quarters that had once belonged to Severus Snape were sealed. Beyond their doors were the remnants of Severus' life. A wardrobe full of musty clothes, books, even the cup that his last ever coffee was served in. Exactly as he had left it. Before he died.

It had been Harry's idea to keep them. And Professor McGonagall had readily agreed. There were plenty of rooms in the castle. Keeping one locked and warded would make no difference. They had never tried to remove Snape's wards. The house elves were forbidden to enter. No one had set foot in them since that night.

Harry walked silently back from Hagrid's hut with Leo Malfoy. There didn't really seem to be anything to say. There was a terrible air of sadness that hung around Leo. One that seemed to cling to everything around it.

"You loved Professor Snape didn't you?" Leo nodded. "His rooms are still here. I asked for them to be sealed. After the last battle. I owed him something. And I begged for him to have a portrait in the headmaster's office. But apparently it's the castle that decides not the staff."

"There's no portrait of Severus?"

"No." And rather than look disappointed a look of hope flashed into the bright blue eyes.

"Then it's not too late. If the castle thinks there may be a chance, it's not too late."

"What's not too late?"

"Harry. I showed you my memories. You saw what happened when I came into my power. It nearly destroyed me and I nearly destroyed Dumbledore. I would have done, if Severus hadn't stopped me. When the power is unleashed within you it is the most amazing feeling. You see everything, know everything, you are everything. And that is why Warlock's are feared, and most often destroyed. I was lucky. I was allowed to love. That was the way I could control myself. Stop myself. If I hadn't my soul would have become twisted and corrupt. Just as if I had split it into seven. Severus saved me. Now perhaps I can save him. And I can stop this stupid game once and for all. And then Severus can stop me."

They had reached the doors of Snape's chambers.

"They're warded."

"Really?" And with a wave of his hand the wards were broken and the door creaked forwards.

"How did you do that? The only ones who could get in were the House Elves. Not even Professor Flitwick could get past them. They had a team of Aurors from the ministry on it for days as well."

As he walked in to the dead man's room and smelt the slightly damp air, Harry felt a wave of sadness and guilt flood over him. The room was cold and dark, but there were the remains of a fire that had never been cleared from the grate. A plate with a meal rotted to dust. A book left open. Severus Snape had thought he was coming back.

"Can I help you?" Harry said quietly. "What's coming next?"

"You found me Harry. And you brought me back to Hogwart's. And that isn't just a happy coincidence. Of all the Wizards it was you who brought me back. To the one place where my magic could heal." Harry nodded. He had lived too long and seen too much to believe in coincidence any more.

They looked around the room. Harry noticed how Leo's fingers gently brushed the pillow where Severus Snape's head would have rested.

"I will find you Severus. I promise." And Harry felt a warm, gentle breath of air rustle through the disused chambers.

The silence was broken by Professor McGonagall appearing at the doorway. She looked at the room, her eyes clouding with tears.

"Mr. Potter, a ministry owl has just arrived for you." She held out a rolled parchment which Harry read.

"I'm to go to the ministry at once. There's a problem in the Department of Mysteries."

"So It's started. "

"What has?"

"The next part of the game. Do you have people you can trust Mr Potter? Trust with your life?"

"Yes." He thought of Ron and Hermione and Neville and all the others who had already given so much but he knew would give again and never ask why.

"Good. Send word to them. We'll need all the help we can get."


	17. Chapter 17

As Severus Snape lay dying on the floor of the dirty shack a very strange thing happened. Once those memories had left him. The ones about Lily and Dumbledore. And Harry had taken them and ran off to meet his death as only Harry Potter could, there were more memories. Just before the finality of death. As though the memories Harry had taken were simply one layer of wallpaper stripped away to reveal another layer underneath. And Severus remembered.

He remembered Hogwarts as it had really been. He remembered his friends. He remembered holding hands with Remus Lupin in Herbology and Professor Sprout smiling at them when she noticed. He remembered Sirius Black nearly wetting himself laughing the first time Severus had fallen off his broom, but then rushing to help him up and giving him a chocolate frog with a "Never mind mate, you'll get it. It's just a question of learning to balance."

He remembered Lily, beautiful Lily, dancing with him at the Yule ball and how jealous everyone had been because he could actually dance. All the girls wanted to dance with him because he didn't tread on their feet and he was tall. All the boys wanted to be him because all the girls wanted to dance with him. He remembered teaching James Potter how to dance so he could impress Lily.

And he remembered a smiling boy with blue eyes and blond hair looking at him as though he was the most important, beautiful thing in the world. And he remembered a feeling of being loved, and loving. And then there was a strange blue light. And Severus was dead.


End file.
